Good Indian Food in Central Jersey (NOT Edison)

On my way to Somerville yesterday and noticed that Alishaan, the Indian restaurant on Route 202E in Bridgewater has closed. It's going to reopen as an IHOP, which I guess will please some people.

This got me to thinking. Given that the Somerville area has a high population of Indians, where are the really good Indian restaurants? I know there's a place in town and another near the Bridgewater mall but it seems there are few Indian restaurants in the area (there must be half a dozen Thai places).

I don't want to drive all the way to Edison for a curry fix so I'd be interested to hear about places you like, let's say in the Flemington/Princeton/New Brunswick triangle.

I live in an area of Central NJ (not Edison) with a heavy concentration of Indian people and an absurd number of Indian restaurants. I, however, detest Indian food so I am totally unable to comment on any of the local offerings. Each one seems to fall in and out of favor with locals depending on how heavily the restaurant owners are promoting their "fantastic food" by anonymously posting rave reviews on the town's website.

I think Masala Grill is truly delicious - it's one of my favorite places. There's another place, Palace of Asia, on Quakerbridge Road. It's not stellar, but it has a nice atmosphere and the food is consistent. The service is great too.

I also like Vasanta Bhavasan which is a little further down Quakerbridge. It's vegetarian, and very tasty. The majority of their clientele seems to be Indian and they are always crowded at dinner time, so I am thinking that it is pretty authentic. I haven't been as thrilled with the place in East Windsor that is supposed to be so great - Maasti, I think it's called. The food was not that thrilling to me, but the place has gotten rave reviews.

Palace of Asia and Maasti is not very good at all. I was very disapointed with Maasti's lunch buffet. There is a place in Plainsboro that is very good I dont remember the name of it but its right in the Plainsboro shipping center.

I've always loved Amravathi in Aberdeen, although it's a bit East of where you are speaking. My mom used to work in Cranbury and the Indian people that she worked with used to take turns on who would take their whole lunch our to pick a huge order up for everyone.

We also enjoy Amravathi - been there many times and always get good friendly service. We don't get the lunch buffet as often as I'd like, but I love to go for the buffet and try a few different dishes. We also like Bombay in East Brunswick in the Movie 5 plaza, though it's been a while since we've been there (I assume it's still there...)

Just saw this thread. I think the best Indian food in the Princeton area is Crown of India in Plainsboro--I esp recommend the aloo papri chat, the chana pindi, the baingan bharta, the chicken tikka masala...but everything I have had there is great. Their lunch buffet is not as good as their food off the menu (as is probably the case in any restaurant). I think it is a lot better than Masala Grill, which used to be good but has slipped in recent years. I also like it better than Ganges and Palace of Asia, although both have their supporters.

Indigo on Route 1 in South Brunswick deserves the rave the Times gave it--excellent food, atmosphere and service. Piquant Bread Bar in New Brunswick on George Street is upscale and also was very well reviewed. These are serious restaurants with interesting dishes, not cheap curry houses.Rupee Room on route 1 in South Brunswick is another new option